Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Purchases Shares of 347,343 The Western Union Company $WU

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 347,343 shares of the credit services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,234,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WU. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Western Union by 11,759.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,954,045 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $74,052,000 after acquiring an additional 7,886,978 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 821.1% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 4,170,343 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $35,114,000 after buying an additional 3,717,589 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 16,948,328 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $135,417,000 after buying an additional 3,708,291 shares during the period. Meridiem Capital Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 190.7% during the 3rd quarter. Meridiem Capital Partners LP now owns 4,545,827 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $36,321,000 after buying an additional 2,982,044 shares during the period. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of Western Union by 128.4% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 4,900,542 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $39,155,000 after buying an additional 2,754,827 shares during the period. 91.81% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Western Union

In related news, insider Benjamin Carlton Adams sold 19,924 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.23, for a total value of $183,898.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 234,689 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,166,179.47. This represents a 7.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Giovanni Angelini sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.47, for a total value of $56,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 311,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,947,935.24. This represents a 1.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 3.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Western Union Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of WU stock opened at $8.58 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.88, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $2.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.31, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.22. The Western Union Company has a 1-year low of $7.85 and a 1-year high of $10.35.

Western Union (NYSE:WU) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 24th. The credit services provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.15). Western Union had a net margin of 10.88% and a return on equity of 55.94%. The firm had revenue of $963.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Western Union has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.750-1.850 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Western Union Company will post 1.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Union Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 16th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a $0.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 16th. Western Union’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WU has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Western Union to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Western Union in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.82.

Western Union Company Profile

Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments. The company enables individuals and businesses to send and receive money through a variety of channels, including its vast agent network, online platforms, and mobile applications. Core services include person-to-person money transfers, business-to-business cross-border payments, bill payment services and prepaid card programs.

Through its digital offerings, Western Union provides customers with the ability to initiate transfers via its website and mobile app, as well as track transactions in real time.